Bellows type air springs have been known in the prior art for many years. A typical example of a bellows type air spring and a method of making such spring is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,874,458 issued to R. D. Smith. A bellows type air spring is made by first forming on a drum a cylindrical body having usually two plies of uncured bias ply rubberized fabric, an inner and outer cover of rubber or other elastomeric material, and an end bead ring of metal cable or filaments on each end with the ends of the fabric layers wrapped around each respective end bead ring. The cylindrical body or carcass is formed and the bead rings applied with the rubber in the green or uncured state. The uncured carcass is then placed in a mold for shaping and curing by heat and pressure to a finished shape of a bellows having one or more radially outwardly protruding lobes. If the particular design of bellows spring has more than one lobe, "girdle-ring" beads of substantially similar construction to the bead rings applied on each end are applied at one more locations along the axial length of the body depending upon the number of lobes. A girdle-ring is positioned encircling the outer face of the outer cover at an axial location between each of the lobes. When the bellows air spring is performing its function of a cushioning operation with internal gas or liquid pressure in the body of the spring, the girdle-rings, in cooperation with the end bead rings, retain the smallest diameter portions of the spring while allowing each lobe to bulge radially outwardly at an axial mid-point of each lobe.
One of the constant problems encountered with prior bellows spring devices has been a tendency of early cracking in the bead turn up area. When this cracking appears, it normally encircles the outer cover layer a short distance axially inwardly from the bead, i.e. in the "bead turn up area" near the end edges of the turned up fabric layers. This cracking is a major cause of customer dissatisfaction. The present invention changes the relative overlap relationship of the inner and outer fabric reinforcement layers in a manner which remedies the problem of early cracking in the bead turn up area and substantially increases the flex life of the bellows style air springs.